Today, Apple was awarded a patent for a dual-sensor imaging system that could find its way into new iterations of the iPhone, iPod or even MacBook sometime down the road. As AppleInsider reports, the patent, titled "Dual image sensor image processing system and method," details a system consisting of two separate image sensors which capture and then compare two different versions of a photo.

The images are then scrubbed for flaws on a pixel-by-pixel basis. If an unacceptable level of corruption is found in an area of one of the sensor's images, it will be replaced by content captured by the second sensor. The patent notes that this technology would also apply to video capture.

Of course, the patent goes into a great amount of detail regarding the logic behind the replacement of each corrupt pixel, but the bottom line is your photos will benefit from the redundancy of a dual-sensor system. Just how much of an improvement we would be able to expect has yet to be seen, of course. The patent notes that the system could be added to a number of Apple's product lines, showing the iPhone, MacBook and iMac in a number of diagrams.